Source: https://deftridge.com/rates/chief-of-staff/california/ Title: Chief of Staff hourly rate in California, 2026 | Deftridge Summary: Chief of Staff pay in California: median wage $97 an hour, typical part-time contractor rate $205. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2024. CA · United States · **Updated November 4, 2026** # Chief of Staff hourly rate in California The market median wage for a Chief of Staff in California is **$97.48 an hour**. A senior part-time contractor typically receives **$205 an hour** on Deftridge, +41% against the United States rate. **$205/hr** typical contractor rate, senior **$97.48/hr** median wage **$64-152** middle half of wages **$4,440** a month at 5 hours a week ## Chief of Staff wage percentiles in California Employee wages for the role. The yellow row is the median. | Percentile | Per hour | 5 h a week, per month | Full time, per year | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 10th | $48.08 | $1,040 | $100,000 | | 25th | $64.09 | $1,390 | $133,300 | | Median | $97.48 | $2,110 | $202,800 | | 75th | $151.99 | $3,290 | $316,100 | | 90th | $230.23 | $4,990 | $478,900 | Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2024; aged to October 2026; about 292,300 people employed in the role. [How rates are built](https://deftridge.com/rates/methodology/). ## California in numbers What sets California apart for a Chief of Staff, from the same sources as the table above. - **+41%** median wage against the United States median of $69.01 - **2nd of 51** states by median wage for this role - **292,300** people employed in the role in this place - **$126.46** median wage in the San Jose metro area, the highest here - **$35** country floor: no United States rate is published below it ## What contractors receive The Deftridge rate for a Chief of Staff in California by level and by format. The company adds 15% on top; you keep all of the rate shown. | Level | Per hour | Per month at 5 h/week | | --- | --- | --- | | Manager | $170 | $3,680 | | Director | $205 | $4,440 | - Regular role **$205** - One-off task **$235** - Task bundle **$210** ## Chief of Staff pay across United States Typical contractor rate for a senior Chief of Staff, highest first; 5 of 51 places shown. By median wage California ranks **2 of 51**. | Place | Median wage | Contractor rate | | --- | --- | --- | | District of Columbia | $115.42 | $245 | | California | $97.48 | $205 | | Delaware | $94.47 | $200 | | New Jersey | $94.17 | $200 | | South Dakota | $92.07 | $195 | ## Metro areas in California Median employee wage for the role in the metro area (BLS OEWS). - [San Jose $126.46/hr median wage · range $81-185](https://deftridge.com/rates/chief-of-staff/california/) - [San Francisco $118.38/hr median wage · range $77-170](https://deftridge.com/rates/chief-of-staff/california/) - [Los Angeles $99.32/hr median wage · range $66-161](https://deftridge.com/rates/chief-of-staff/california/) - [San Diego $97.48/hr median wage · range $64-152](https://deftridge.com/rates/chief-of-staff/california/) - [Napa $97.22/hr median wage · range $69-138](https://deftridge.com/rates/chief-of-staff/california/) - [Sacramento $93.54/hr median wage · range $63-132](https://deftridge.com/rates/chief-of-staff/california/) - [Vallejo $89.97/hr median wage · range $62-136](https://deftridge.com/rates/chief-of-staff/california/) - [Santa Rosa $89.12/hr median wage · range $62-128](https://deftridge.com/rates/chief-of-staff/california/) - [Salinas $86.10/hr median wage · range $61-130](https://deftridge.com/rates/chief-of-staff/california/) - [Santa Maria $85.64/hr median wage · range $60-130](https://deftridge.com/rates/chief-of-staff/california/) ## Questions about pay, fees and privacy The same rules apply to every task, so they live on two pages: [Pricing](https://deftridge.com/pricing/) explains the 15% fee, prepayment and when you are paid; [How it works](https://deftridge.com/how-it-works/) covers matching, what a company sees and side work next to a job. [Chief of Staff rates in every country](https://deftridge.com/rates/chief-of-staff/) · [Chief of Staff jobs in California](https://deftridge.com/jobs/chief-of-staff/california/) · [Methodology](https://deftridge.com/rates/methodology/)